The company President Nicolas Sarkozy is keeping these days is unlikely to help reverse his flaccid approval rating. This week, Sarkozy welcomed President George W. Bush for a valedictory visit by a leader whose own poll numbers are even worse than the French President's—and who is arguably the least loved head of state in the Western world. Nor would Sarkozy have done much to improve his own popularity by inviting Syria's President Bashir al-Assad to be a guest of honor at France's Bastille Day parade.
On Friday evening, Sarkozy hosted a private Elysee Palace dinner for Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, an opportunity for a fond farewell to a leader the French President embraced. Bush has repeatedly called Sarkozy "my friend" in recognition of the French leader's eagerness to repair relations severely damaged by France's opposition to the Iraq war. The amity between the two men was enhanced by Sarkozy's outspoken personal admiration for Bush since assuming the French presidency last year.
But Sarkozy's affection for a man was partly responsible for his own precipitous decline from an approval rating of nearly 70% soon after his election, to a low of 32% in May. Public perceptions that Sarkozy's policy on issues such as Iran's nuclear program has made French foreign policy too submissive to U.S. dictates has also contributed to the French leader's slide. Although Sarkozy's numbers have crept back up to 38% of late, another high-profile love-fest with Bush is more likely drag them down than to boost them. 中文见下页
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